Poor quality Pakistan shell went off in tank killing two Bangladesh Army soldiers
Twelve Chinese technicians were in Chittagong for repairs and upgrades on Bangladesh Army’s T-59 ‘Durjoy’ series tanks.
by Enayet Kabir
September 10, 2026
The main cause of the tank accident during a
Bangladesh Army exercise in Hathazari, Chittagong, on September 9 was not a defect in the Chinese-made tank but the use of allegedly substandard Pakistani ammunition, according to a reliable military source.
The freak explosion occurred eight months after two teams of Chinese technicians arrived in Bangladesh on January 12 and 13 to undertake repairs and upgrades on the T-59 tanks, among Bangladesh Army’s oldest mehcanised vehicles.
They were first taken to Rajendrapur Cantonment near Dhaka before being shifted to Chittagong’s Chariya field firing range.
The heavily modernised T-59 tank was installed with new turrets, 125 mm guns and advanced electronics a few years ago.
A Bangladesh Army Type 59G “Durjoy” main battle tank (MBT) was involved in a major explosion during live-fire training in Chittagong on September 9. Two soldiers, Abu Bakar Siddiq and Tasnim Rafayet, were killed, while Captain Mirza suffered critical injuries.
According to the military source, following the political change on August 5, 2024, the then Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, Lieutenant General S M Kamrul Hassan, took initiatives to procure ammunition from Pakistan. “Regular relations” were established with the Pakistan Army and its defence-industrial establishments.
During this period, Bangladesh reportedly imported 40,000 rounds of ammunition, 2,000 tank rounds, 40 tonnes of RDX and 2,900 high-powered projectiles from Pakistan without adequate standardisation and quality checks, according to the source. Some of this ammunition was subsequently used at Bangladesh Army firing ranges during training exercises.
Preliminary findings from the Hathazari firing range indicate that Pakistani ammunition was being used during the exercise in which the fatal explosion occurred.
The investigation into the precise cause of the accident, however, remains underway.
According to the military source, the preliminary technical assessment is examining how an obstruction may have developed inside the tank’s gun barrel and whether this resulted in a backward-directed explosion. One possibility being examined is that carbon fouling or fragments of an external object became lodged inside the barrel, obstructing the normal escape of the projectile and propellant gases.
Such an obstruction could produce an abnormal build-up of pressure inside the barrel, potentially resulting in a catastrophic barrel or chamber failure and an internal explosion. Investigators are therefore examining multiple possibilities, including ammunition-related defects, rather than attributing the accident solely to a mechanical problem with the Chinese-built Type 59G.
The possibility that the explosion was caused by defective or substandard Pakistani ammunition is among the hypotheses being considered, the source said.
Lieutenant General Kamrul Hassan and several other senior military officers had reportedly been enthusiastic about procuring military equipment and combat aircraft from Pakistan. They advised the government led by Muhammad Yunus to acquire Pakistani-produced ammunition and aircraft based on Chinese technology. Allegations of involvement in a “commission trade” also emerged in connection with such procurement.
Following the national election of February 12, 2024, Lt Gen Kamrul Hassan was sent on deputation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Interest among senior military officials in acquiring defence equipment from Pakistan reportedly continues. There have also been allegations of close relationships between what critics describe as “corrupt officers” in the armed forces of the two countries.
Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, the son of former Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ghulam Azam who was expelled from the military, and retired Colonel Abdul Haque are alleged to have played a catalytic role in facilitating ammunition imports from Pakistan. Azmi and Haque reportedly maintained regular contact with Kamrul Hassan.
The Hathazari accident has consequently brought renewed scrutiny to the procurement, quality-control and acceptance procedures governing foreign ammunition supplied to Bangladesh’s armoured units.
The central question for investigators is now whether the ammunition met Bangladesh Army specifications before it was accepted for operational and training use. A definitive conclusion will require examination of the recovered ammunition, lot and batch records, storage conditions, barrel and chamber components, firing procedures and procurement documentation.
Until the investigation establishes the technical cause, however, the allegation that Pakistani ammunition caused the explosion remains a line of inquiry rather than a proven finding.
The main cause of the tank accident during a Bangladesh Army exercise in Hathazari, Chittagong, on September 9 was not
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